Lectern used by Reverend Dr. Clay Evans at Fellowship Baptist Church

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

Reverend Dr. Clay Evans (June 23, 1925- November 27, 2019) was a prominent civil rights leader, Baptist minister, and gospel singer. Born in Brownsville, Tennessee, Dr. Evans utilized his platform on countless occasions to address sociopolitical issues of the times. His connection to addressing community issues while having a deep passion for musical ministry connected him to millions of Americans worldwide. This lectern was in use during the time he served as the founding pastor at the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois. This is a wooden lectern originally used by Reverend Clay Evans. It has three sides, two that face the audience and the third that the speaker stands behind. The two audience-facing sides are solid panels of dark wood. Near the top edge of each of these two panels is text carved into the wood and painted with gold paint. The text reads from left-hand panel to right [“IT IS NO SECRET / WHAT GOD CAN DO.] The two panels do not reach all the way to the floor. Instead, there are an additional two smaller lengths of the same polished dark wood that form a triangular-shaped base for the main body of the lectern to rest on. The third side of the lectern is open and has four shelves of various heights. The top shelf forms the desk on which to rest papers during a speech. This top surface is covered by blue fabric. Just under the lip of this top surface on the right-hand side are two metal switch plates. Two thick rubber covered wires emerge from under the lectern on the right-hand side.

Catalog date

1973

Recorded places

Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America

Recorded subjects

African American; Baptist; Civil Rights; Communities; Gospel (Music); Preaching; Religion; Singers (Musicians)

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